Definition: Conducted when exploring new markets and potential problem spaces that may yield significant longer-term revenues streams
Scope: Innovative challenge realm, brand-neutral
Methods: literature reviews, generative user interviews, field study, focus groups, card-sorting
Strategy
Definition: Conducted when seeking to discover new opportunities (new problems or unmet needs) to inform and influence future design and engineering effort. This type of research is likely to happen alongside teams’ current development efforts, within the context of an existing problem space
Scope: Existing problem space, product/service
Methods: Design thinking workshops, ideations, surveys
Tactical
Definition: Conducted when looking to explore and validate potential solutions to known, target problem. This type of research happens frequently, as part of teams’ current development efforts and within the context of the current opportunity.
Scope: Known problem(s), features & workflows
Methods: Qualitative usability testing, tree-testing, first-click testing, A/B testing, preference testing
Operational
Definition: Conducted when seeking to measure, iterate and optimize an existing, deployed solution/aspect of a solution. This type of research happens more frequently to monitor and improve upon recent development efforts.
Scope: Existing solution(s), interactions & UI. problem space, product/service
Methods: Product analytics, continuous feedback surveys (CSAT, NPS, CES), continuous user interviews
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